{"id":2339860,"date":"2024-09-11T16:46:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T20:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disgraced-former-cia-officer-turned-spy-agrees-to-crushing-plea-deal-making-him-beholden-to-us-govt-for-life\/"},"modified":"2024-09-11T16:48:55","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T20:48:55","slug":"disgraced-former-cia-officer-turned-spy-agrees-to-crushing-plea-deal-making-him-beholden-to-us-govt-for-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disgraced-former-cia-officer-turned-spy-agrees-to-crushing-plea-deal-making-him-beholden-to-us-govt-for-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Disgraced Former CIA Officer-Turned-Spy Agrees to Crushing Plea Deal Making Him Beholden to US Gov&#8217;t for Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdisgraced-former-cia-officer-turned-spy-agrees-to-crushing-plea-deal-making-him-beholden-to-us-govt-for-life%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2339860&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a dramatic conclusion to a troubling\u2064 case, Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, a former CIA officer, has likely sealed his fate \u2063by betraying the United States to China. Ma, who is 71 years old and was originally from Hong Kong but settled in Honolulu, Hawaii, pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to transmit national \u200cdefense information to a major U.S. adversary. <\/p>\n<p>Ma worked for the \u2063CIA \u200dfrom 1982 until 1989, holding a\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/records-show-that-voice-of-america-had-chronic-security-lapses\/\" title=\"Records Show That Voice of America Had Chronic Security Lapses\">top-secret clearance<\/a> that \u200bprovided him access to sensitive information. His espionage activities began in 2001 when he and a \u200crelative met with representatives from the Chinese State Security Bureau in Hong Kong and provided \u2063them with a significant amount of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-army-intel-officer-arrested-after-flight-from-china-lands-hit-with-serious-national-defense-charges\/\" title=\"Former Army intelligence officer arrested after flight from China lands, faces severe national defense charges.\">classified defense information<\/a> in exchange\u200d for $50,000.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these activities, Ma later applied to work for the\u2063 FBI in Honolulu; however, the FBI monitored him closely due\u200b to suspicions regarding his ties\u200b to foreign security services. During his monitored employment from 2004 to 2012, Ma further compromised U.S. national defense\u200d by revealing classified identities to the Chinese.<\/p>\n<p>In \u2064August 2020, he was arrested after unwittingly interacting with an undercover FBI agent posing\u2063 as a Chinese operative. Ma is now facing a \u2064recommended ten-year prison sentence and must undergo lifetime polygraph\u2064 tests as part of his plea deal. In a letter to the judge, \u200cMa expressed remorse and\u200d sought forgiveness from God and America. He is scheduled for sentencing on\u200d Wednesday.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>In a fitting end to an unsettling saga, a former CIA officer who gladly betrayed the United States for a pittance will likely spend the rest of his life suffering the consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, originally pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to gather and deliver <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-rips-trump-for-doing-the-same-thing-the-obama-administration-did\/\" title=\"Joe Biden Rips Trump For Doing The Same Thing The Obama Administration Did\">national defense information<\/a> to the People&rsquo;s Republic of China, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/congressional-report-comes-shocking-conclusion-fight-us-china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a major American adversary<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The turncoat was born in Hong Kong, but eventually settled in Honolulu, Hawaii.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/former-cia-officer-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-commit-espionage-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Department of Justice<\/a>, Ma worked for the CIA from 1982 until 1989. Ma and a relative, named as a co-conspirator by the DOJ, both held top secret clearances and had access to sensitive information.<\/p>\n<p>The betrayal began in 2001 as Ma and the co-conspirator met with officers from the Shanghai State Security Bureau in a Hong Kong hotel room.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Ma and his traitorous relative handed over a &ldquo;large volume&rdquo; of classified defense information to the Chinese officers over the course of three days. The foreign agents gave the pair $50,000 and secured their future loyalty.<\/p>\n<p>In 2003, Ma applied to work for the FBI Honolulu Field Office. Intelligence officers aware of Ma&rsquo;s connection to foreign security services were prepared to counter the subterfuge, however.<\/p>\n<p>In a true cloak-and-dagger move, the FBI hired Ma as part of an investigation into the espionage work of the People&rsquo;s Republic of China. He worked for the bureau from 2004 to 2012.<\/p>\n<p>Ma was placed in an off-site location, where his activity was closely monitored by agents. They soon made a disturbing discovery the proved Ma was not only willing to throw national security secrets to an adversary, he was willing to sell out the individual men and women who accepted and trusted him.<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-embed\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ex-CIA officer accused in espionage case pleads guilty\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kNuFPehlbe4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Ma further admitted that in February 2006, during this monitored employment by the FBI in Honolulu, Ma convinced [the co-conspirator] to provide the identities of at least two individuals depicted in photographs that were provided to Ma by SSSB intelligence officers,&rdquo; the DOJ&rsquo;s release states. &ldquo;The individuals&rsquo; identities were and remain classified U.S. national defense information.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ma confessed that he knew that this information, and the information communicated in March 2001, would be used to injure the United States or to benefit the PRC, and he deliberately engaged in the criminal conspiracy with [the co-conspirator] and the SSSB anyway.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The spy was arrested in August <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/burned-body-found-area-harris-lead-staffer-promoted-arson-2020-ngo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2020<\/a> after an undercover FBI employee convinced Ma that he was a Chinese agent.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/former-cia-officer-arrested-and-charged-espionage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DOJ&rsquo;s announcement at the time<\/a>, Ma accepted $2,000 cash from the undercover agent and expressed his desire to continue working for China, saying he wanted &ldquo;the motherland&rdquo; to win.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately for Ma, he can no longer help the country he pledges allegiance to.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/cia-fbi-officer-spying-china-1fe72330dc5a6fea20a4df2337a0e182\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Associated Press<\/a> reports the plea deal Ma agreed to recommends a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bill-cosby-83-denied-parole-refuses-to-attend-sexually-violent-predator-courses\/\" title=\"Bill Cosby, 83, Denied Parole, Refuses To Attend \u2018Sexually Violent Predator\u2019 Courses\">ten-year sentence<\/a> for his crime and requires him to be submit to U.S. government polygraph tests for life.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I hope God and America will forgive me for what I have done,&rdquo; Ma wrote in a letter to Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson.<\/p>\n<p>Ma is set to be sentenced on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a fitting conclusion to a troubling story, a former CIA officer who willingly betrayed the United States for a small sum will likely face lifelong repercussions. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information to China, a significant adversary of the U.S. Born in Hong Kong and later residing in Honolulu, Hawaii, Ma worked for the CIA from 1982 until 1989. Along with a relative identified as his co-conspirator by the Department of Justice (DOJ), both held top-secret clearances and had access to sensitive data.<\/p>\n<p>The betrayal began in 2001 when Ma and his relative met with officials from China&#8217;s Shanghai State Security Bureau at a hotel in Hong Kong. Over three days, they provided these agents with a &#8220;large volume&#8221; of classified defense information in exchange for $50,000, securing their loyalty. In 2003, Ma sought employment at the FBI&#8217;s Honolulu Field Office; however, intelligence officers were aware of his ties to foreign security services.<\/p>\n<p>In an ironic twist, the FBI hired him as part of an investigation into Chinese espionage activities from 2004 to 2012 while closely monitoring him at an off-site location. They soon discovered that not only was he willing to compromise national security secrets but also betray individuals who had trusted him.<\/p>\n<p>According to DOJ statements, during his monitored employment with the FBI in February 2006, Ma persuaded his co-conspirator to reveal the identities of two individuals shown in photographs provided by SSSB intelligence officers\u2014information that remained classified U.S. national defense data. He acknowledged that this information would harm the United States or benefit China but chose to engage in criminal conspiracy regardless.<\/p>\n<p>Ma was arrested in August 2020 after an undercover FBI agent convinced him he was working for China; he accepted $2,000 cash from this agent and expressed eagerness to assist China further. Unfortunately for him now unable to aid his chosen allegiance\u2014the Associated Press reports that Ma&#8217;s plea deal suggests a ten-year sentence along with lifetime polygraph testing by U.S. authorities.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I hope God and America will forgive me for what I have done,&#8221; Ma wrote in correspondence addressed to Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson as he awaits sentencing on Wednesday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2339861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ma.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[7362,12646,32538],"class_list":["post-2339860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cia","tag-espionage","tag-plea-deal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ma.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2339860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2339860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2339860\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2339861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2339860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2339860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2339860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}